Making Opera look like other browsers

Whether you want to help ease a transition from one browser to another, or you just like the look of other browsers, you can use skins and toolbar setups to make Opera look and behave like other browsers.

They cannot be 100% perfect, because there are a few functions of each browser that do not have an exact equivalent in Opera. In these cases, I have tried to select the most appropriate function for those buttons to perform. These toolbar setups are based on Opera 9, with a default toolbar setup.

You can always return your skins to normal using 'Tools - Appearance', and your toolbars using 'Tools - Preferences - Advanced - Toolbars'.

These setups do not modify your keyboard shortcuts, menus, mouse gestures, or preferences. They are simple cosmetics only, and only make Opera look like other browsers, while still allowing you to use Opera's features. There are more complete setups available that change menus and keyboard as well (ask Rijk for more complete setups).

Note, I do not own or make any of the skins; they are made by other Opera users, and are available on the my.opera.com community site.

MultiTorg Opera (Opera 1.0)

A very complete makover, changing menus, toolbars, skin, and Web page handling. So complete it is not appropriate for this page - it has its own page, based on making Opera 8 or 9 look and behave like MultiTorg Opera.

Internet Explorer 7

Preview

Installing

• Install the skin (see info page)
• Install the toolbar layout
• Use 'View - Toolbars - Address bar' twice to make the address bar hide itself properly
• Use the icon to the left of the tabs (looks like 4 small rectangles) to hide the menu bar (yes, I know it is supposed to be quick tabs, but there is no equivalent in Opera yet)

Limitations

• IE makes the menu bar appear when you press Alt. I cannot do that. You will have to use the button to toggle display of the menu bar (assuming you actually want to make it disappear). On Linux/UNIX, the menus will still work even if they are hidden. Remember to put the menus back before you change to another layout ;)

Internet Explorer 6

Preview

Installing

• Install the skin (see info page)
• Install the toolbar layout
• Tick 'Tools - Preferences - Advanced - Tabs - Open windows instead of tabs'

Firefox

Preview

Installing

• Install the skin (see info page)
• Install the toolbar layout
• You may need to use 'View - Toolbars - Address bar' twice to make the address bar hide itself properly
• Use 'Tools - Preferences - Advanced - Tabs' and untick 'Show close button on each tab'

Mozilla modern

Preview

Installing

• Install the skin (see info page)
• Install the toolbar layout
• You may need to use 'View - Toolbars - Address bar' twice to make the address bar hide itself properly
• Use 'Tools - Preferences - Advanced - Tabs' and untick 'Show close button on each tab'

Limitations

• The skin is old and incomplete. It does not produce enough lines, or the correct shading on the tab bar.
• The Home button cannot be correctly positioned.
• Toolbars cannot be collapsed.
• I could not find any skin simulating the Netscape Classic theme, that works properly in current Opera releases.

Safari

Preview

Installing

• Install the skin (see info page)
• Install the toolbar layout
• You may need to use 'View - Toolbars - Address bar' twice to make the address bar hide itself properly

Limitations

• Menus and titles cannot be positioned correctly on Windows.

Konqueror

Preview

Installing

• Install the skin (see info page)
• Install the toolbar layout
• You may need to use 'View - Toolbars - Address bar' twice to make the address bar hide itself properly
• Use 'Tools - Preferences - Advanced - Tabs' and untick 'Show close button on each tab'

Camino

Preview

Installing

• Install the skin (see info page)
• Install the toolbar layout
• You may need to use 'View - Toolbars - Address bar' twice to make the address bar hide itself properly

Limitations

• Menus and titles cannot be positioned correctly on Windows.

Opera 8

No need to do anything, Opera 8 and 9 use the same skin and toolbar layout.

Opera 7.5

Preview

Installing

If all you want to do is to get the dropdown arrows on the back and forward buttons, right click on the buttons you want to remove (the ones without the dropdown arrows) and select 'Remove from toolbar'. Then right click on the address bar and select 'Customize'. Select the 'Buttons' tab, and in the 'Browser' section, drag the buttons with the dropdown arrows to the toolbar. Note that even though the default buttons do not have a dropdown arrow, they still have the dropdowns. Either click and hold them for a second, or click and drag the mouse downwards.

To get the full Opera 7.5 toolbar layout, do the following:

• Install the toolbar layout
• Use 'Tools - Preferences - Advanced - Tabs' and untick 'Show close button on each tab'
• Use 'Tools - Preferences - Advanced - Browsing' and tick 'Show window menu'

Opera 7.2

Preview

Installing

• Install the skin (see info page)
• Install the toolbar layout
• Use 'Tools - Preferences - Advanced - Tabs' and untick 'Show close button on each tab'
• Use 'Tools - Preferences - Advanced - Browsing' and tick 'Show window menu'
• Use 'Tools - Appearance - Toolbars' and set 'Progress bar' to 'Pop-up at bottom'

Limitations

• It is not possible to do the animated showing of button names.

Opera 6

Preview

Installing

• Choose a skin ('Classic icons' was used in the preview):
  • Classic icons (see info page)
  • Classic icons native (see info page)
• Install the toolbar layout
• Use 'Tools - Preferences - Advanced - Tabs' and untick 'Show close button on each tab'
• Use 'Tools - Preferences - Advanced - Browsing' and tick 'Show window menu'
• Use 'Tools - Appearance - Toolbars' and set 'Progress bar' to 'Pop-up at bottom'

Limitations

• Both skins use the wrong shape for the tab bar tabs.